How It Might Have Been
by Serpent Mistress
Summary: What if Daine had stayed with the wolves without remembering she was human for a longer time? Say, years? (Please note I am bad at summaries...) Also- none of the wolf names are the same as those in the book.
1. Prologue

How It Might Have Been: Prologue

**Disclaimer:** None of this belongs to me...blah blah blah...It's all Tamora's...

**Rating:** PG-13, I guess.

**Author's Note:** To understand this story, you should probably pretend you don't know anything about 'The Immortals', since the events are kind of random. That said, start reading!

**Summary:** What if Daine had stayed with the wolves without remembering she was human for a longer time? Say, years?

Deep in the forest, all was silent. No harsh human noises disturbed the sleeping trees. Not a twig snapped. Not a leaf rustled. The usual cool breeze that swept through the trees every night was still. Every now and then, though, a squirrel would stir sleepily in its tree-hollow home. A bird would awaked to preen a wing before resting its eyes again. None of them broke the almost unnatural silence.

If any human used to the city life had stood among the trees, he would have been frightened by the endless silence. He would think to himself, _It is abnormal for animals to be so still and quiet_. Any normal human who stood here would echo our imaginary city boy's thoughts.

But Veralidaine Sarrasri, called Daine, was not a normal human.

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed from the trees. Its enormous wings suddenly shot to its sides and it dove fast toward the ground. it extended its claws just before a sharp squeal pierced the air.

Hawska looked up nervously when the shrill cry rent the silence. Other members of the herd pawed the ground restlessly. The herd had sensed danger earlier, and had tried to convince Vur to move on. But Vur was getting old. He did not sense anxiety of the night, nor that of his herd. He had barely looked up when the shriek had stirred the herd.

Hawska was a low ranking stag. It was not his place to do what he was going to now, but he honestly believed that the herd, _his_ herd, was in danger.

Hawska nervously approached Vur. _Lord Vur_, he began. _The herd is frightened. As part of the herd, I suggest we leave this place. It would put the herd at rest._

Vur looked up sharply. _Do you not trust my judgment?_ he demanded sharply. Hawska tried to reply, but Vur cut him off. _I know what I am doing! The herd is being foolish. And it is not the place of stags like you, Hawthorn, to order your betters . Now leave me!_

Hawska left, his antlered head hung low. He was hurt and troubled. He was insulted that Vur had mistaken his name. Hawska didn't understand what was the matter with Vur. Ever since he had grown into his seventeenth year, he had become snappish and withdrawn. He had recently made several decisions without thinking that had resulted in losses for the herd. Hawska did not know what it was to grow old. Not many deer did.

Hawska was puzzling over this when suddenly several heads went up near where Vur was grazing. They all looked around, alert and afraid. Vur didn't notice.

A doe's tail flew up, displaying the white distress sign. _Wolves!_ she cried, and began to race away. White flags flew up, and suddenly the clearing was filled with racing deer.

_Wolves!_ The cry was taken up by the rest of the herd. _Wolves! _Hawska tore after the herd. _Wolves!_ And then he saw them.

Six wolves threw themselves into the clearing, yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness, white teeth grinning, long pink tongues lolling out of their mouths.

Hawska was mad with fear. The sight of the wolves pushed all rational thought out of his mind. Instinct took over. Run! it commanded. Run! Hawska ran and ran faster. The last thing he remembered before his fear began to command him was Vur, panting and limping, at the very back of the herd.

_Close in on him! Halftail, take the left! I will take the right! _Silverpelt swerved to the right, and saw Halftail do the same, his stubby tail waving from side to side, to the left. The rest of the wolves began the close the distance between them and the fleeing deer. He was easy prey. Old, limping, wheezing. But still strong. Silverpelt frowned.

_Daine! This one is too big! We will trap him! You finish him! _Silverpelt panted. The Pack was gaining on it! The joy of the chase was on them. One wolf howled with delight, to be answered by another call. But this call was wrong, somehow. It sounded strange. The wolves didn't seem to notice.

All at once, the wolves were on their prey. The deer cried out as a wolf leaped onto its back and began to tear at his shoulder. He slowed even more. Then, suddenly, a rock wall loomed in front of him. Wolves jumped on either side of him. He was trapped.

Vur knew then that he was doomed. There was no way out. But he would not go down easy. Determined, he gave a spurt of speed and reached the wall ahead of the pack. He reared suddenly, throwing the wolf on his back into the dirt. The wolf, Halftail, yelped when he hit the ground and slithered back to the pack, injured. Vur turned and faced the wolves, old antlers lowered against his foe. Hopeless though it was, Vur was going to fight.

To his surprise, the wolves did not rush at him as one like most wolves would. They made a semicircle around him and prowled, waiting.

_Where is Daine?_ growled one. Her name was Dewfur.

_She is coming_, replied Silverpelt. _You know she is slower than us._

_She's not much slower. Good thing, too._ Another, named Flameheart, had spoken.

_I still don't see why we can't just kill him and get it over with. _ It was Halftail.

_Idiot!_ snarled Silverpelt. _There are not enough of us to take on an elk! You are injured already, and we would suffer losses. Even an old elk like this one is dangerous._

_We got along fine before Daine came. We killed our own prey then._

Silverpelt's answer was cut off. _Pack-brothers! I am sorry to delay our feast!_

_Daine!_

The wolves flocked around the new arrival. For a moment she was covered by furry gray bodies, and Vur could not see her. _What is so special about this Daine? _he wondered. And then the wolves finished greeting Daine and backed away. Vur got his first sight of Daine, and he was filled with confusion and terror. And it was not because Daine was the biggest wolf of the Pack, or the meanest looking, or anything like that. No. It was because Daine was not a wolf.

She walked on four legs like a wolf. She acted like a wolf, sniffing the air and growling. She talked like a wolf with mind-speech. She was treated like a wolf, obviously accepted into the Pack. But Daine was not a wolf. She was not even one of the People. Daine was human.

Scraggly brown hair fell down to her shoulders in some places, her ears in others, clumsily cut by a knife. Not a stitch of cloth clung to her lithe, muscular body. A thin bracelet that was caked in mud hung from her wrist, so dirty it was impossible to tell what color it was. Every one of her ribs showed clearly through tanned skin. Her body was covered with scratches and bruises. Old scars that had clearly been delivered by a human weapon slithered along her back and legs. Her knees were callused from constant scraping on the forest floor and her feet were so hard they resembled hooves. Her hands displayed long, broken fingernails. One of them clutched a dagger that was dug deep into the ground. Her hollow, gray-blue eyes glittered in the moonlight.

Suddenly Daine lunged, hunger in her eyes, toward the stag. The dagger gleamed dully. Vur reared, all his sense leaving him at the sight of the wolf-girl. Quick as lightning, the girl scrambled part way up the vertical rock wall and threw herself onto the deer, dagger burying itself deep into Vur's back. Pain lanced through his shoulders and into his head. He through back his antlers and howled into the night. Daine scurried over him like a monkey. Suddenly she was just above his front legs, on his chest. She stabbed him again and again, trying to kill quickly. The dying animal's legs crumpled to the ground. Quick as a flash, Daine was on his back again, safe from being crushed by his enormous weight. The deer let out one last sigh of breath, and then went still. Vur, lead stag of the Long Lake deer herd, was dead.

As soon as the elk hit the ground, the wolves swarmed on it. The stag was too heavy to drag back to the rest of the Pack, so the hunting wolves would fill their bellies now, rest, fill them again, rest, and only then bring what remained back to the Pack.

Daine tore at its hind leg with her teeth, strong jaw and sharp teeth doing the rest. She snarled, bit, and growled with the other wolves as she ate. If she found a piece that was too tough for her to rip off, she angrily slashed it out with her dagger before devouring it.

Once the animals were too tired and full to eat anymore, they slept. Their furry bodies surrounded the deer carcass. Daine lay awake for a while. For a moment she wondered why she had wanted to kill the deer quickly, but then, frightened, she thought of wolves._ I am a wolf! _she thought fiercely. This thought was her anchor to herself. Whenever she found herself thinking strange and frightening things, she forced herself to the same thought. _I am a wolf!_

But there was one part of her mind that was _not_ wolf. That part made her do things that were un-wolflike. Carry a dagger. Where the strange wristband. Kill prey quickly, and not because of her hunger, but because it was cruel to let things suffer. The rest of the Pack had simple thoughts(or so she thought), but Daine's were more complex. They wouldn't understand about suffering. Daine found it easier to do what this part of her said rather than try to argue with it. She with scared to explore it. For what could she be if she wasn't a wolf? That part of mind knew. But for Daine, ignorance was bliss.

Another wolf lay awake as well. Silverpelt lay on his side, eyes open and staring into the night. He was thinking, an odd pastime for a wolf. He watched the Girl-Who-Was-Pack. She lay stretched out like the rest of them, eyes roving in her eyelids as she slept. He remembered the events before she had come. The Pack had been different then. Their thoughts had been of food, pups, mates, and staying away from humans. They had told stories, but every one was almost the same. When the humans had come, the Pack had fled. Wolves had died, slain by human spears. The Pack hadn't thought about how they were dying out. Only that they had to stay away from the spears. They had once been a normal wolf pack.

Then Daine had come.

She had stumbled into the Pack at night after an unsuccessful hunt. She was cut all over and bleeding. Smelling blood, the wolves had gotten ready to attack. They wouldn't normally have eaten human flesh, but the smell of blood made them mad with hunger. Then she spoke to them, somehow. She pleaded with them, begging to stay with them for a short time while her wounds healed. Silverpelt had agreed, and helped her by licking her wounds. In the days that she stayed, knowledge began to pour into his head, faster then he could stand. His way of thinking changed. He had a real memory now. His thoughts were logical. They were unnatural for a wolf. The rest of the Pack felt it too, but not as strongly as Silverpelt. Soon they all began to act less like wolves. Now they thought they could outwit anyone, even humans. Silverpelt liked the old way of thinking better. At least that way he didn't have a constant pain in his head.

Daine had stayed until her wounds healed. Then she stayed longer. She stayed so long she began to think herself to be a wolf. She had no memory of her life as a human. To the wolves, she was the Girl-Who-Was-Pack. She was one of them. She was a wolf.

The rest of the Pack didn't understand the flow of thoughts in Silverpelt's head. He kept them to himself. Once, on a hunt, Daine got lost and was gone for six days. The flow of knowledge in Silverpelt's head had slowed to a trickle in that time. The trickle he could bear. But when she returned, the rush started again.

Silverpelt liked Daine very much. Once, at the time when he thought her pure wolf, he considered becoming mates with her. But then the flow had advanced his knowledge again, and he realized he couldn't. With his new knowledge, he knew it would hurt her to make her leave. She could die. So he stood the pain. When he felt as if he would go mad, he left Halftail in charge and roamed the forest until he felt he could return. At these times, Silverpelt considered running away or casting Daine out. He knew he could not run away. The Pack needed him, and what was a wolf without his Pack beside him? But the Pack needed Daine too, if it was to survive.

Silverpelt rolled over, eyes still wide open. The Pack needed both of them. Silverpelt let out a breath and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. Sometimes, there were no answers.


	2. Chapter One: A Mission, And A Shock

How It Might Have Been:

Chapter 1

The Mission, And A Shock

**Disclaimer:** sigh sadly, none of this is mine. It belongs to Ms. Pierce.

**Rating:** PG-13, I guess.

**Author's Note:** To understand this story, you should probably pretend you don't know anything about 'The Immortals', since the events are kind of random. That said, start reading!

**Summary:** What if Daine had stayed with the wolves without remembering she was human for a longer time? Say, years?

"So," Jonathan of Conte, King of Tortall, surveyed the two figures before him. "Thank you for coming at such a late hour. I called you here because Fort Dragonslayer has very important information. I need someone to go retrieve it."

Numair Salmalin stared at him for a moment. "Um... wouldn't it be more appropriate to have a messenger go and-"

Jonathan waved a hand. "The Fort insists that the information is extremely valuable. Lord Alun writes that he is afraid the enemy will intercept and kill a regular messenger. He says a trained mage is needed."

"But even so, he didn't say he needed the most powerful mage in Tortall, did he?" Onua Chamtong the horse mistress spoke. She and Numair were not exactly looking their best. Onua's hair was everywhere, pieces of straw tangled in some places. She had decided to sleep with the horses that night. Numair was in a similar state, minus the straw. Both of their clothes were wrinkled and loose, obviously put on hastily.

"No, he didn't. That was my decision." Jonathan looked serious. "It is possible that Fort Dragonslayer has been taken over by the enemy, and Lord Alun was forced to write this letter. He isn't the... strongest person I know, and he could be forced into it. The letter says nothing of the status of the fort. So if I am to send a mage, I want him to be able to take care of himself. Numair is the obvious choice." Jonathan suddenly grinned. "Then I remembered how horses usually react to him and I thought you, Onua, would be a good companion." Numair, embarrassed, looked at the floor. Onua laughed. "You're right, Jon. If Numair goes, I must go. And it sounds like fun."

"Oh, yes. Most fun." muttered Numair. He didn't appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night to be told he was needed as a messenger boy.

Jonathan spoke quietly. "Numair, it is as your friend I am requesting you do this. Not as your king."

Numair thought for a moment. Then he smiled. "Of course I'll go, Jon." Jonathan returned his smile. "Good. Then you best be off at once. Try to avoid people of your way, and you best be off at once." Onua grumbled something about wet nights. Numair sighed dramatically. "Really, Jon, what would you do without us?"

Numair and Onua returned to their rooms and got ready. They were off by dawn. They traveled as far as they could before the sun really rose, and then stopped. They could still see the castle in the not-so-distance.

Onua detected relief coming from Pinecone, Numair's mount, in waves when his rider dismounted. Tired? she asked in mind-speech.

Stork-man... sits... sack... potatoes. Onua smiled, understanding the horse's meaning. Her wild magic with horses was limited. She could understand about half of their words. Emotions communicated to her easier. Later, she would remind Numair to sit straighter.

At dusk, Onua and Numair mounted up and rode again. They stopped at dawn and rested until nightfall. They continued like this for ten days. On the third, the castle disappeared entirely from view.

At dusk on the tenth day, Numair wearily rose and shook Onua. "Come on. Let's go." Onua, grumbling, got up and saddled the horses while Numair packed everything up. He left Onua to take care of the remains of her wards. This was their unspoken agreement.

Each of the had two horses. They alternated using them every other night. Onua had given Numair the mildest she cold find, as well as the biggest. He had Pinecone and Fairheart, and she had Rage and Sunflower. Tonight, Rage and Fairheart were being ridden. The others trailed behind.

To avoid a large village, the riders were forced to travel through a forest. The horses were nervous. They had to be coaxed to enter. They're smarter than us if we chose to go through here, Numair thought ruefully. It seemed just like any other woodland at first glance, but there was strange something about it. It felt like maybe something didn't belong. Numair soon began to think he was more frightened than even Rage, who was very skittish about anything he couldn't see. He would relish a charge at a fire-breathing dragon, but would be terrified to enter the sleeping dragon's lair.

They were traveling for quite some time when suddenly a rabbit broke for cover almost on top of Fairheart's foot. She reared in fright, almost throwing Numair, before streaking off into the trees.

Fairheart! Stop! cried Onua. But Fairheart had unintentionally created a fear-woven barrier in her mind that blocked out thought and hearing. She tore through the forest, eyes rolling madly. Numair somehow managed to stay on. He tried desperately to coax the dashing horse to a halt , but nothing worked.

Pinecone! Sunflower! Rage! After them! Onua yelled the words out loud as well as in her mind. The horses raced along the trail. Onua was too panicky to remember which way they went.

Numair suddenly thought of something. My gift! How could I be such an idiot?

He concentrated, and black fire wove in and out of his fingers. He sent the fire toward the horse's legs, slowly. If he threw his power there all at once, the horse would stop suddenly and throw him. Without Fairheart's consent, her legs began to slow down. Terrified, she threw her strength into her legs to make them move. Numair, worried the mare would hurt herself, sent the fire faster. In a few seconds the horse was still.

Numair dismounted quickly and stroked the horse's neck, trying to calm her, but the horse was even more spooked then before. She tried desperately to move, flailing from side to side. Numair didn't know what to do. If he lifted the spell, the horse would split and he would have to catch her somehow. If he didn't, Fairheart would break her neck or burst some vital organ or something and Onua would never forgive him.

Fortunately, Numair was saved from making the decision by the arrival of Onua. She charged up the path on Rage, followed by Pinecone and Sunflower.

"Numair, what did you do?!?" Without waiting for an answer, she practically dove of Rage and ran to Fairheart, scolding all the while.

"You probably used some idiotic spell to get her to stop, and you probably aimed it only at her legs instead of all of her so she could break her neck or burst some vital organ or something-"

Onua's voice died to a mutter as she tried to scold Numair and soothe the horse at the same time. Numair sighed in relief.

What's wrong? asked Onua silently. Fairheart's barrier had broken down when she had stopped running.

...legs... paralyzed... Onua sighed in despair at Numair's predictability and soothed the horse. Then she turned to Numair. "Lift that curse."

"But-" Onua glared at him. He hastened to obey. Black fire swirled around the mare's legs, then disappeared. She whinnied in relief and trotted around in a circle. The other horses went to make sure she was okay.

Dawn was beginning to light the sky.

Onua sighed and sat down. Numair imitated her. They rested for a long moment. Then Numair said, "Any idea where we are?" Onua suddenly stood up and looked around. The horses had moved. The grass which had flattened from all the pounding hooves had righted itself. Every tree looked the same.

Onua groaned and sank back to the grass. "Great. Now we're lost."

Numair sighed. He was too exhausted from traveling all night and the chase to use his gift to trace their path. Onua silently asked the horses. Any idea where we are?

We... in the forest. said Sunflower as though it were obvious.

Which way is the way we were traveling? Onua tried again.

We traveled... way we... Rage spoke now.

Could you answer that again, please?

... traveled any way... wanted. Rage repeated.

Onua sighed. "They don't understand the question."

Numair thought for a moment. "Well, we are too tired to do anything about it now anyway. Even if we did figure out the direction we came from and where we had to go, the horses couldn't carry us. We need to sleep. In the morning I can use my gift to figure out the way."

Onua nodded. "You're right. Let's set up," Then she grinned jokingly. "How 'bout you scout the area as a hawk?"

The sun had almost risen properly by the time the wards were set and the fire was going. Then the two exhausted mages collapsed underneath their blankets.

When Numair awoke, light was just beginning to touch the horizon. He frowned still befuddled by sleep. If I went to sleep after the sun rose, how can I wake at dawn? he asked himself. Then he began to think more clearly and realized he must have slept through the night. He sat up, and looked to the other side of the fire to see if Onua was awake. She wasn't.

Numair rose quietly, careful not to make too much noise. He stretched. He then felt the need to relieve himself. If he was lucky, on the way he would find a stream to bathe in and drink from. He walked to the edge of the encampment and spoke the password to the wards. He walked through and stretched again, blinking in the brightening light. The he briskly began to walk.

He relieved himself a little ways away from the camp. Then he continued on, until his water search turning into more of a pleasure walk. The forest seemed a lot more inviting in the light of day. The green leaves shone yellow in the light, and little pools of sunshine appeared where there were gaps in the trees.

He was just about to give up and turn back when he came to a clearing. The sunshine poured in, and he squinted in the light. When he got used to it, he saw a pond near the center of the clearing. Cattails grew along the edges, and lush grass poked up everywhere.

Numair smiled. Perfect. The horses could graze here, and it was perfect for a bath. The water looked clean enough, and he could purify it with his gift anyway. Still grinning, Numair went to get a drink. Pushing through cattails, he came to the water. It sparkled clear blue, reflecting the cloudless sky. Cupping the liquid into his hands, he whispered the spell to purify it. Now any water he picked up in the next hour would be clean.

Things were going too well. Later, Numair thought he should have guessed something bad was going to happen. It was just his luck.

At the opposite end of the pond, he spied some strawberries. His mouth watered just looking at them and he realized how hungry he was. So he started off toward them. He kept quiet, because it seemed a nasty thing to disturb the peace.

When he reached the strawberries, he was just about to pick one when he saw something through the cattail wall. He peered through, and jumped at what he saw. A pack of wolves was dozing at the other side of the wall. He knew it was pure luck that they hadn't scented him yet and that he was upwind. That could change any minute. He wasn't sure if the wolves would chase him, but there was no point disturbing them. Plus he wasn't exactly in the mood for running or fighting. He was just creeping away when a wolf rolled over in its sleep, and Numair got the shock of his life. A completely naked, wild looking girl was sleeping with the wolves.


	3. Chapter Two: The Deam And The Meeting

How It Might Have Been:

Chapter 2

The Dream And The Meeting

**Disclaimer:** Eveything belongs to Tamora. (I refuse to call her Tammy as if she's my best friend.)

**Rating:** PG-13, sometimes.

**Author's Note:** To understand this story, you should probably pretend you don't know anything about 'The Immortals', since the events are kind of random. That said, start reading!

**Summary:** What if Daine had stayed with the wolves without remembering she was human for a longer time? Say, years?

Daine wrinkled her face, murmuring. Dreaming. The same dream, again. In her dream, she was with the wolves. She had to remember something very important, but she couldn't think of it. She asked the other wolves if they knew, but they only stared at her in surprise. Friendship was in their eyes, but so was question. _Why did you become a human instead of staying a wolf, Daine? _asked Flameheart. She tried to answer that Flameheart shouldn't be ridicules, she wasn't a human, but all she could do was ask about what she had to remember. _What is it like to be a human, Daine?_ asked Halftail. Daine tried to object, but she could only miserably ask about the memory. Then all the wolves backed away, and stood in a pack without her. She tried to join them, but though she could mingle with them and speak to them, somehow she wasn't Pack anymore. Just when she was despairing, a faceless human reached out a hand and she could understand it when it reached out a hand and whispered, "Come with me, Daine." Daine reached out, and her hand was halfway there when she froze, unsure. The human kept whispering encouragingly to her, but she didn't know what to do. Then, suddenly, she froze completely, hand extended halfway. A voice whispered near her ear, _Veralidaine Sarrasri...chose your destiny... _Then blackness whirled around her.

Daine woke with a start, and sat up quickly. Breathing hard, she rested for a moment. Then she felt eyes on her back. She whirled around toward the cattails.

Numair stared, astonished, not comprehending what her was seeing. Was she dead? Dragged in by the wolves, perhaps? No, she was breathing. Breathing hard, as if having a nightmare. But... what was she doing there? With the wolves? It was as though she was living... The thought zipped through Numair. How could she live with the wolves? Yet it was the only explanation for being in her state.

Numair was so distraught only a small part of him comprehended what she looked like. Her naked body rippled with lean muscles and her face had the bony, hollow look of one who never gets enough to eat. She was filthy and smelled of wolf. Cuts and abrasions nicked her body. Suddenly she sat up. Numair quickly dodged deeper into the reeds, still watching. He was completely mystified. Something about her terrified him, yet something drew him toward her. Then the girl whipped around, brown curls flying, and stared straight at his hiding place.

Numair froze as her gray-blue eyes searched the reeds. His heart pounded louder and louder until he was sure she could hear it. He couldn't move. There was a roaring in his ears. Frozen by fear, he crouched in the same position for what seemed like days, his knees aching from the constant pressure. The girl slowly rose to four legs and began to move toward the cattails.

Daine sniffed the air experimentally. Nothing. Whatever it was was upwind. Daine was sure something had been- no, _was_ watching her. She crawled a few more steps, then called out with her mind. _Pack-brother?_ she questioned. There was no response. Her call roused Stormpaw. _Daine? What is it?_ he asked, rising to his four enormous paws.

_I'm not sure._ Daine replied. _I felt someone watching me from the water._

Stormpaw lifted his nose to the air. _I scent nothing. There is nothing there. I'm going to sleep again._ With that he settled back to the ground and promptly settled back into dreams.

Daine was not convinced. She advanced again toward the cattails. There! The wind had changed for a moment, and she had scented something that didn't belong. The change in air was too brief for her to catch exactly what was hiding, but something was there. A growl rose in her throat as she slowly drew closer to the reed bed. The hair on her neck stood on end,and suddenly she lunged toward the water, dagger glittering.

She passed through the grass wall almost soundlessly. As she did, her vision was clouded for a moment and she heard a violent scrambling sound on the far side as Numair suddenly gained the feeling back into his body. Then she was through, and she landed on all fours and faced her foe.

**Author's Note:** Yes, a bit of a short chapter...but it seemed like the perfect place to end it! I know, it's a mean cliffie...but oh well! R/R and I might do less of that. Please tell me if I'm too wordy, because sometimes I worry that I am. Also, please note that the wolve's name in my story are not the same as in the book. Don't get confuzzled now...


	4. Apology!

Important!!!!

Someone has brought it to my attention that some of the names I have used for the wolves were actually copied for the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. This copying was entirely unintentional and I apologize! For the sake of simplicity I would rather not change these names, but it is only fair that I do. From now on, these are the name changes:

Silverpelt: Copperpelt

Halftail: Hazeleye

Once again I apologize for this misunderstanding, it is completely and fully my fault. Thank you for bringing this error to my attention and for bearing with an inexperienced writer!


	5. Chapter Three: Encounters With Humans An...

How It Might Have Been:

Chapter 4

Encounters with Wolves and Humans

When Numair saw the wolf-girl pounce at the cattails, he abruptly snapped back into reality. Fear hit him like a ton of bricks and he scrambled madly on the slippery grass, but it was too late. The girl landed exactly where he was a second ago and, dagger in hand, turned her blue-gray eyes on him.

Both of them were panting, Numair from fear and the girl from exhilaration. Daine stared at him. A moment ago she had been completely prepared to kill and eat whatever had been watching her, but the fact that he was a human threw her off guard. A human! Another thing surprised her- he wasn't running or trying to kill her. He just sat there, watching her. She tried to meet his eyes like she did other animals, but looking in them made her dizzy. She contended her self with looking at his face and waited for herself to kill him, as she would any other creature. But she couldn't. She ordered her body to move, but something stopped her. She started to lift the dagger, but stopped. _He must have placed a human spell on me!_ she realized. She made a small fearful noise in the back of her throat as she continued to look into his face. When she chanced another glance into his eyes, she saw that he look as afraid as she felt.

Numair stared at the girl, scared. He saw her dagger hand start to move, then froze. Her eyes were fearful as she growled a low, deep growl. Numair was as frozen as she. _Frozen for the second time in so many minutes..._ he thought. Then he suddenly decided he had to help this girl. She couldn't live as a wolf, pretending to be something she was not. It wasn't right.

As soon as he reached this conclusion, the feeling surged back into him. Relieved, he stood up. The movement seem to trigger something in the girl and suddenly she stumbled backward. She then growled, and lunged.

Numair didn't stop to think. He only turned tail and ran. _Get her away from the pack..._ he thought vaguely as he ran. The girl was incredibly fast on four legs and was catching up with him easily. Panting, he somehow managed to run faster. Half-formed thoughts drifted in his mind. _I'm crazy! Trying to outrun a wolf! Lunacy! Get her on her own. _She was gaining on him easily, while Numair's strength was nearly spent. Sucking up what magic had regenerated during his long sleep, he shape-shifted into his hawk form.

Daine stopped dead as the man disappeared, to be replaced by a hawk. _What...?_ she thought confusedly. The hawk flew around her head. The hawk is the human! she thought wildly and, terrified, slashed at the air with her blade. Numair the hawk saw how fearful she was. _This isn't helping_, he thought. He cast around for ideas, and settled on one.

Numair streaked off. Daine followed. Her thoughts were going crazy-she had no idea what to do. She did the simplest thing and followed the human-hawk. Once the two had gotten a far distance from the Pack, Numair changed back into his human form. The girl was advancing at an amazing speed. Numair summoned his clothes and they dressed him without his blinking an eye, and then (with no clear plan in mind) yelled "Stop!"

Daine skidded to a halt, startled. Before, she had never understood the harsh shouts that came out of human mouths. But now this human's voice resounded clearly in her head.

The human put his hands out in front of him. "I'm not going to hurt you," He said slowly and clearly. "I only want to help." Daine glared at him. He was lying, of course. Why would a human want to help a wolf? The human sat on the ground within easy dagger range, but now Daine was too curious to kill it.

Numair frantically tried to think of something to say. If he told her to put down her dagger, she might think he was trying to disarm her and attack. Plus, if she thought she was a wolf, she might not even know she _had_ a dagger. He was too scared to tell her to come closer. "Um..." he dug around in his pockets. The girl quickly raised her dagger defensively. "No, I won't hurt you," said Numair again. His hand gripped something and he pulled it out. It was a piece of traveler's bread. "Here," he said, putting his hand forward.

Daine drew back when the human extended his hand, but then advanced again. He was holding out food. Daine's hand shot out and grabbed the bread. She brought it to her face and sniffed it. It seemed fine. She devoured it quickly. It was not as good as meat, but beggars can't be choosers. She then turned to face the human again. He pointed to himself. "Numair," he said. "I am Numair."

What an odd name! Daine stared at him. _Numair?_ she chanced in her mind. Then she remembered he was human. She couldn't talk to him. Wolves can't talk to humans. _Then why can you understand him?_ asked some part of her. She made a noise in her throat. It came out as "Ughun." _Not very useful,_ hissed that part of her head. _Try again._

_I don't_ want _to!_ Daine argued.

_Do it! NOW!_

Daine opened her mouth. "I-" she stammered. "I am D-d-daine," she managed. _How am I talking to him?_ she thought wildly.

Numair smiled in an astonished way. _She has obviously been with the wolves for a long time. How can she speak with me? "_Hello, Daine." He could think of nothing else to say.

Daine was utterly perplexed. And then she became frightened. I am a wolf! she thought, but this time it didn't help. The human was smiling at her. The human! Wolves can't be around humans! Humans kill wolves! I can't stay here! Daine turned and raced away, back toward the Pack. "Wait!" called the human, but Daine didn't listen. Soon she was out of sight of where Numair was sitting.

**Author's Note:** Hello again! Sorry I haven't updated in a while... Things have been really hectic. My family is trying to move to Boston before the school year starts, and we haven't really even chosen a house/apartment yet. So updates might be few and far between for a while. Anyway, down there points downward I'm goind to start answering reviews. See you all later! Darking Queen: I'm extremely flattered! Don't worry, I won't do _that_ again! I'll try to update more often. Dave the L's gal: We have that little misunderstandng sorted out...thanks for giving me the heads up! Also, the is no Stormpaw in Warriors. another angel: Thank you so much! I'll try to update! Demonkitty2007: Thanks! Brokefang is the leader's name in the books, but all the wolf's names are changed here. Unless it takes my fancy to use some:) Thanks! I'll update as soon as I can! 


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